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"In Search of 'The True' Islam: The Impact of 9/11 on Muslims in Jersey City"
Unformatted Document Text:  jennifer bryan 1 In Search of “The True” Islam: Constructing Muslim Identities in Hostile Times --The Impact of 9/11 on Arab Muslims in Jersey City-- Jennifer L. Bryan Yale University Introduction The attack on the World Trade Center had an enormous impact on Muslims in Jersey City. In particular, it sparked a critical turning point in the construction of Muslim identities, in- group community cohesion and social interactions with others in Jersey City. It was not so much the attack itself, but what came in its aftermath—the state war on terrorism (with its transnational and local variations), the media images and stories linking Arab Muslims with terrorists, and the social and economic backlash against Arab Muslims—that caused such profound social effects. In Jersey City, after 9/11, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and local law enforcement officials questioned and arrested hundreds of Arab men, raided dozens of Arab businesses and homes, and surveyed several local mosques. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and Office of Homeland Security detained nearly eight hundred Arab men in New Jersey jails. Journalists and media crews from all over the United States and the world ran leading stories depicting Jersey City as a “Terror Town.” 1 Employers were reluctant to hire Arab Muslims. Landlords imposed large increases in rent on Arab Muslims tenants. White, Black, Latino, Asian and Arab Christians formed an unprecedented alliance to “watch” Arab Muslims for “suspicious activities;” some organized patrols of public space near mosques and elementary schools, while others used telescopes to monitor Arab Muslims in the privacy of their homes. Afraid and angry that Arab Muslims in Jersey City could be what President Bush had described as terrorist “sleeper cells,” some residents reported the activities of Arab Muslims to the FBI, while others used verbal and physical assaults to intimidate, embarrass, and hurt Arab Muslims, especially women and children. Given this post 9/11 climate of Jersey City, the objective and subjective risks of going to the mosque, wearing Islamic clothing, and practicing Islam in pubic space were incredibly high. In the face of intense scrutiny by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), detentions by the

Authors: Bryan, Jennifer.
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jennifer bryan
1
In Search of “The True” Islam: Constructing Muslim Identities in Hostile Times
--The Impact of 9/11 on Arab Muslims in Jersey City--
Jennifer L. Bryan
Yale University
Introduction
The attack on the World Trade Center had an enormous impact on Muslims in Jersey
City. In particular, it sparked a critical turning point in the construction of Muslim identities, in-
group community cohesion and social interactions with others in Jersey City. It was not so much
the attack itself, but what came in its aftermath—the state war on terrorism (with its transnational
and local variations), the media images and stories linking Arab Muslims with terrorists, and the
social and economic backlash against Arab Muslims—that caused such profound social effects.
In Jersey City, after 9/11, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and local law enforcement
officials questioned and arrested hundreds of Arab men, raided dozens of Arab businesses and
homes, and surveyed several local mosques. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)
and Office of Homeland Security detained nearly eight hundred Arab men in New Jersey jails.
Journalists and media crews from all over the United States and the world ran leading stories
depicting Jersey City as a “Terror Town.”
1
Employers were reluctant to hire Arab Muslims.
Landlords imposed large increases in rent on Arab Muslims tenants. White, Black, Latino, Asian
and Arab Christians formed an unprecedented alliance to “watch” Arab Muslims for “suspicious
activities;” some organized patrols of public space near mosques and elementary schools, while
others used telescopes to monitor Arab Muslims in the privacy of their homes. Afraid and angry
that Arab Muslims in Jersey City could be what President Bush had described as terrorist
“sleeper cells,” some residents reported the activities of Arab Muslims to the FBI, while others
used verbal and physical assaults to intimidate, embarrass, and hurt Arab Muslims, especially
women and children.
Given this post 9/11 climate of Jersey City, the objective and subjective risks of going to
the mosque, wearing Islamic clothing, and practicing Islam in pubic space were incredibly high.
In the face of intense scrutiny by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), detentions by the


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